The present invention relates generally to binding devices and, more particularly, to an improved strap connection system for releasably binding pages together within covers in a lay flat condition.
The first known Latin manuscript, circa 55 A.D. was protected by two wooden covers bound on one side by leather thongs to act as a hinge. Today, there are many different types of binding systems. One type of hardback binding is an adhesive binding using glue with an integral cover to permanently secure the pages within the cover. While adhesive bindings are used for permanently binding the pages of books, there are many other types of less permanent and less expensive binding systems which serve the basic needs of protecting, storing and providing convenient access to the bound information.
Perhaps the best known non-permanent binding system is the three ring binder. The three ring binder is available in a variety of different sizes ranging from one inch to five inches for holding various numbers of pages therein. The rings may be round, D-shaped or elliptical rings and are opened and closed for adding, removing and rearranging pages. One disadvantage of a three ring binder is that the size of each binder is fixed and it is not reducable or expandable to accommodate varying number of pages therein. Thus, the user may select a binder which is too large or too small for the number of pages to be held by the rings of the binder. If the number of pages exceeds the capacity of the rings, the rings may not close properly and the pages may be difficult to turn or may become loose. If the number of pages is less than the capacity of the rings, then the user may be left with a bulky binding system having exposed rings. In either case, the number of pages may increase or decrease as the user adds or removes pages and it may be difficult to select a binder which is sized to match the number of pages held in the binder at any given time. Another disadvantage is that the three ring binder does not typically lay flat in its closed condition and thus may be difficult to store and may be less aesthetically pleasing in both the opened and closed conditions.
Other types of non-permanent binding systems include wire bindings, spiral coil bindings, comb bindings and screw post bindings. Wire bindings and spiral coil bindings require special machinery to punch holes in sheets to be bound and insert the binding through the holes. While these types of bindings are not permanent and are often used to bind reports and presentations, one disadvantage is that pages cannot be easily removed, rearranged or added once they are secured because the binding must be removed and reattached using special machinery. In addition, the size of the wire or spiral coil is fixed so that the number of pages cannot exceed a certain predetermined amount.
Comb binding uses a separate spine to hold together punched pages and allows pages to be added, removed or rearranged. Similarly, screw post binding uses two cover pieces and a removable spine to releasably hold punched pages together. While comb and screw post bindings provide an expandable, lay flat binding system, one disadvantage is these bindings may be too bulky if only a small number of pages are to be bound. In addition, these type of bindings may be relatively expensive due to the three cover pieces and the comb or screw post components which are required. Further, the required disassembly and reassembly of the parts each time a page is removed or added makes these types of bindings relatively complicated and not user-friendly.
With the increasing popularity of showcasing photos and memorabilia in attractive keepsake albums and scrapbooks, the need for lay flat, attractive albums including user-friendly binding systems which allow pages to be removed, rearranged or added with ease has increased. One currently available lay flat, photo album utilizes a binding system which includes straps and two anchored pieces having slots for receiving the straps to releasably secure two covers together. While this binding systems allows the user to remove, rearrange and add pages, as desired, in a lay flat album, one disadvantage is that the straps are difficult to thread through the slots and must be threaded in a certain manner to properly secure the strap. Further, this binding system requires that the two covers be separate. Thus, a separate spine portion must be added if the user desires to cover the binding at the spine of the album resulting in additional expense. Another disadvantage is that the strap ends are exposed at both the front and rear cover. In addition, the straps must be located only where the slots in the anchored pieces are formed and they cannot be moved to different positions along the vertical extent of the covers to accommodate pages having slots in various locations along the edge thereof.
Therefore, there is a need for a simple connection system which securely holds pages together within covers while allowing a user to easily remove, rearrange or add pages.